Enceladus
Interesting facts
You can view these links to learn more about Enceladus and the other moons of Saturn:
The Enceladus image on this page was taken in 2010 by the Cassini probe, and is courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute.
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- Enceladus has volcanoes that are actively erupting around one of its polar areas.
- However, unlike Earth’s volcanoes (which erupt molten rock), Enceladus has cryovolcanoes, which erupt primarily water vapor, along with other volatiles.
- Some of this material escapes from Enceladus, so as the moon orbits Saturn, it continually sprays microscopic particles into space, forming a ring around Saturn, called the E Ring.
- Enceladus has an icy crust, but scientists believe that all this water comes from a subsurface ocean, heated by tidal forces.
- Since Enceladus appears to possess a large amount of water, it may be able to support lifeforms, so scientists are eager to perform more in-depth exploration on this small world.
You can view these links to learn more about Enceladus and the other moons of Saturn:
The Enceladus image on this page was taken in 2010 by the Cassini probe, and is courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute.
Back to main Saturn page
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